Critic Reviews

So with the new maps, the new character, Adventure Mode, all the changes and content for the expansion it's a big game-changer for Diablo 3 in general. It's superbly done and everything works beautifully, making the PC version a truly excellent one and worthy of high praise indeed. Also, the inclusion of David McCallum. Aka, Ducky from NCIS and for those of us that remember his role as Steel from Sapphire and Steel, is inspired and it's great to hear his dulcet tones as the voice of Rakkis in the game. It is worth noting that while the Auction House has been shut down, the game still requires you to be Always Online. All in all, you can't miss this expansion - if you do, then you're missing out on a huge change to Diablo 3 and some of the best expansion pack material we've seen in a LONG time.

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls adds more content to a game that has already changed substantially since launch. The new character and the extra chapter for the story are one thing, but the Adventure Mode is the real stand out star of the expansion, allowing players a different sort of game once they finish the story. Reaper of Souls really is an essential purchase for anyone who enjoyed the main game, but also a great addition for those new to the franchise and want to have the best Diablo experience that they possibly can. Nice work, Blizzard.

Reaper of Souls is Diablo III at its best. Act V is a tiny sliver of new stuff, but the heart of D3 is now Adventure Mode. Though it re-uses old world assets, it remixes them in consistently surprising ways. You have to admire Blizzard's approach to Diablo III. They fixed it. The game itself is now absolutely superb and Reaper of Souls finishes the job.

Reaper of Souls is a huge improvement for Diablo 3; it does what was needed and a whole lot more besides. It's overkill - right down to the removal of any cap on the endgame Paragon system, which now invites you to play forever, taking your characters' stats to infinity and beyond. But I wonder if our expectation that Diablo 3 should be a game that we can play endlessly and that will reward us forever is misplaced. Reaper of Souls gives it a much more welcoming, flexible and gratifying character, but it's still a game of utter excess, at once deep and mindlessly shallow. Too much of it will leave you feeling dizzy and sick. Turning it from a miserly grind to a jackpot that always pays out doesn't change that - in fact, it only heightens it.

Reaper of Souls is a welcome addition to the Diablo 3 game. It’s helped to correct a lot of problems the core game had with better loot systems, more end-game content and a new act for you to explore. While it’s kind of sad that Blizzard “played it safe” with some of the expansions features, the game is still worth trying if you like the experience of monster killing and loot collecting.

But subjectively it boils down to just how much use you will find yourself getting out of these new additions. The Crusader requires a reroll, bounties reuse locations and the addition of randomised dungeons might genuinely be a case of too little, too late. This is a superlative effort from Blizzard, but is it enough to change your mind if you’ve already decided against the instalment? Sadly, that’s not a question we can answer for you.

If you've played Diablo III before and found that it wasn't for you, the changes Reaper of Souls makes to the game won't be far-reaching enough to change your mind. Reaper gives those who already liked Diablo III more of what they already liked about it. Adventure mode leverages Diablo III's existing content in a clever way, and with its haunting settings and memorable villain, act five is the best chapter in the game's campaign. If you're looking for reasons to keep on clicking, Reaper of Souls has plenty.

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls is a great expansion packet with a ton of content and changes that make the return visit worthwhile. Having said that, the game is not without problems. The failed narrative, the server lag, and the relative simplicity of searching for loot can all be marks against the game. Even so, the refreshing new ways of approaching the loot hunting formula found in Reaper of Souls is good.

The game looks great, there’ve done some outstanding level design and artwork, and Diablo remains the addictive clickfest that it has always been. The hardcore guys are going to call this Reaper of Souls more than an expansion pack. For the rest of us, I’m going to declare it to be the very definition of an expansion pack, and a pretty modest one at that. One new character, one new act, and some engine tweaks – that’s what Reaper of Souls brings to the party.

I don't know how good I feel about the fact that it's an expansion that fixes a ton of the issues gamers had with the original release, sure Loot 2.0 is available to the vanilla players, but it doesn't give players the Adventure Mode which is a key component to the package, and probably should have been included in the game in the first place. Reaper of Souls did a pretty good job of pulling me back in to the world of Diablo 3, which I didn't think could happen after Torchlight 2, and Path of Exile, both of which I think offer a superior experience. That said, Reaper of Souls is a pretty good expansion, though it's short campaign is terribly forgettable, but it did open up the story for an interesting plot direction, hopefully we won't have to wait another two years to find out the fate of the Nephalem.

We have gotten used to games like Borderlands 2’s introducing us to whole new areas and multiple hours of new plot in its DLC packs, or BioShock Infinite’s DLC expanding on other games in the series and introducing us to new and old characters. Reaper of Souls isn’t like that. It’s really only giving fans of the original a few more toys to play with. Unfortunately, the $40 price of admission weighs heavy on this title, and the sparse new content doesn’t quite justify it. In short, if you weren’t a huge Diablo III fan then Reaper of Souls won’t change your mind. However, if you enjoyed the original then Reaper of Souls adds a new class, several new environments, and a bunch of replay value. Just be warned, the plot isn’t the greatest and you’ll likely have to purchase another expansion in the future to finally see some sort of satisfying conclusion.